


U is for Underground

by Psychodelikas



Series: The Alphabet of Dreams [22]
Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Bathroom Sex, F/F, F/M, Vala and Jared are in a good place, which means it's time to sorta ruin things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 19:51:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13818258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Psychodelikas/pseuds/Psychodelikas
Summary: “Okay, Jared,” I said confident. “I’m ready.”He smiled a bit sad. “I sincerely hope you are, my dear.”





	U is for Underground

Zane was staring at me from her spot in her chair with her arms crossed over her chest, her face clearly expressing the annoyance she felt inside. I couldn’t help but smile widely and a tad bit guilty at her. “Are you proud of yourself, Valaria?” she demanded.

“Um, gee, lemme think,” I joked. “Okay, yeah, that is a definite yes. I am so very proud of myself.”

Despite herself, Zane let out a throaty laugh but she refrained from laughing. “My little story about James being completely affected by Jared’s emotions did little to impress you?”

“Uh-huh,” I confirmed happy.

Another throaty laugh. “You care that little about my safety?”

“You? Safety? _Care?_ ” I burst into laughter.

That time, Zane gave in and laughed alongside me. “All right, already,” she said then spread her arms wide. “Stop laughing and gimme a hug, you asshole of a best friend!” I giggled like silly as I wrapped my arms around her. “Congratulations, you horrible excuse of a human being!”

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” I said beyond happy, smiling up all the way to my ears. Instead of sitting across from her and in the only other chair in the room, I placed myself in Zane’s lap, making her laugh more.

“Comfy?” she asked.

“Very,” I said, nodding.

Zane smiled with all her teeth. “I hate you so much right now because I wanna be so angry with you but I can’t.”

“Thank you,” I said relieved. “But, Zane, seriously. I’m sorry for this.” I pointed at her legs.

“I’m not,” the blonde nincompoop said with a wide grin. “I mean, sure, I was firmly convinced I would not live to see today so not being able to walk for a while seems like getting off easy.”

I laughed embarrassed and covered my face with my hands. “What happened with James last night?”

Zane grinned wickedly. “Oh, Vala, what _didn’t_ happen! I mean, I’ve had James lose control with me before but holy crap! Last night, I’m convinced he no longer cared about any form of control and just went wild!”

I felt myself blush as I laughed at her words. “Oh, God! I’m so sorry!”

“Please, don’t be,” she said reassuringly. “But on a more serious note, try to keep nights like that to a minimum. I’m not exactly sure how many in a row I could survive.”

“Fuck you, Zane!”

The door opened just as we were laughing. James Walker half entered but at the sight of us, he slyly rested himself on the door frame, a hand on his hip and a smirk on his face. “Ladies,” he greeted us smoothly.

“Don’t even think about it, wiseass,” Zane said, pointing a finger at him then she wrapped her arms around my middle. “She’s already spoken for.” On cue, I hugged her back and rested my head on hers.

“There’s a word for what you’re doing right now and it’s called cheating,” the energivore replied.

“Only if it’s working,” my best friend said grinning.

James laughed at that. “Much as I would rather continue, I’m on an errand.” He pointed at me. “Jared needs you in his office right away.”

“Oh,” I exclaimed. I looked at Zane. “Catch you later?”

“I won’t make any promises but sure,” she said casually.

I playfully slapped her on her arm as I rose to my feet. I looked at James and first pointed at my eyes then at him. He just smiled at me, his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was identical to Zane’s earlier one. I giggled as I passed him.

The last image I had before leaving the room was of James kneeling concerned next to a rather radiant and smiling Zanthe. I smiled fondly then closed the door.

Jared was sitting behind his desk when I finally entered his office. He regarded me with an unusually neutral expression as he indicated that I sit down on one of the chairs facing him. I complied without letting my confusion show.

“I would like you to live here for a week,” he said straight to the point.

“What?” I exclaimed stunned.

“As a test,” he specified. “I want you to see what it would be like to live here as well as work, of course.”

I stared open-mouthed at him but there was no indication on his face that he was joking. I closed my mouth and swallowed. “Are you –?”

“Absolutely positive, yes,” he stated simply. “In fact” – he got up and walked over to me then got down on his knees, holding my hands in his – “I am begging you. Please. Stay with me, Valaria.”

That time, I had a proper answer. I took his head in my hands and kissed the air out of his lungs.

But Jared was true to his word. After I unofficially moved in, he immediately put me to work the same way Timo had. Speaking of whom, the grumpy dwarf appointed Zane as his temporary replacement in the lobby due to her inability to walk. Then Timo took a week off. Naturally, my biggest worry had been my parents but that was the first thing Jared took care off. He reassured my mother and father that my staying at the castle for such a long period of time was due to his confidence in my abilities to handle the new project which required my presence on site should something unexpected happened. I had to hand it to him. He was an excellent bullshitter. But then again, he was excellent at just about everything imaginable so it really shouldn’t have surprised me.

During the day, I handled the castle’s hotel aspect while Jared handled the sweet twenty-five aspect. I had honestly thought that I would once again pull all-nighters but as soon as the clock struck ten, Jared always made me go to bed. Once or twice, he even joined me which provided me with the best method of relieving my body of the stress it accumulated while the sun was up in the sky. If he didn’t always go to bed with me, Jared was always there when I woke up which made my morning all the more sweet.

Despite the rather exhausting working hours, it was pure heaven to open my eyes and see a ruby-and-gold stare look back at me. It was also amazing to work side by side with Jared then share breakfast, lunch and dinner with him alongside Zane and James. Sometimes, even Sarah joined us and those meals were the best because she never missed an opportunity to give me insights on how annoying a roommate Jared was.

On the last day of the previously agreed upon week, I felt strangely uneasy but I knew why. I had gotten way too used to living under the same magical roof as Jared. I couldn’t picture myself returning home…except to maybe take a few of my things. But I certainly couldn’t see myself staying. Which got me more than a little worried.

As soon as darkness fell, I told Jared I wanted to leave early to take a shower. He only indicated with his hand that I leave the office because he was busy talking on the phone. I nodded then headed for our shared room. I need something to take my mind off the fast approaching day so I decided I could take a bath instead.

I had used the bathroom several times but it never stopped impressing me each time. Besides the fact that it always was warm, lights turned on as soon as I stepped foot inside. Its sheer size made me wonder once again how many people could fit in it. It was a lot bigger than the bathroom back home and we had a pretty damn nice one, too! But Jared’s tub looked big enough to host five people while his shower cabinet occupied an entire wall. The tub also had three rows of faucets and I had been instantly reminded of the prefects’ bathroom in _Goblet of Fire._ I had loved it at once. And I finally had the perfect occasion to test it.

I first fixed my hair in a messy bun then I undressed, piled my clothes in the dirty laundry basket, and finally hopped in the tub. I yelped and covered my mouth with both hands as warm water immediately began to pour from the lowest row of faucets. I took a few seconds to understand what had happened then laughed at my own silliness.

_Of course it runs on magic._ “But it sure would be nice to have some foam, though,” I said out loud.

The middle row activated and _pink_ water began to pour. I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. I got closer to the faucets. “It’s pink, all right,” I said then laughed at the equally colored foam which had formed and was slowly spreading. I frowned and sniffed the running water. My eyes’ diameter widened. If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn that I was smelling my favorite perfume! But that wasn’t what had me worried. What had me worried was the fact that I was probably looking at the default setting!

However, I didn’t have enough time to worry in the slightest. The water’s speed was magically enhanced. Thus, in the two minutes since sitting down, the tub had been filled up to my chest. Naturally, the water stopped running once the desired level had been achieved. Perfumed pink foam was all over the surface, making it look like I was bathing in cotton candy. The smell was incredible and extremely relaxing. I exhaled long as I rested myself against the edge. I closed my eyes, savoring the moment.

“Am I interrupting?” a smooth voice asked, the echo carrying it to every portion of the room.

I smiled as I looked at him. Jared was watching me amused from the door frame. He was leaning on one side, hands crossed over his chest. “Are you gonna stand there and ogle or are you gonna join me?” I asked him.

Jared chuckled then casually took his clothes off. I didn’t miss a single movement, fighting the need to lower my hand between my legs. The bastard was an incredible sight, damn him. Then I felt something odd and looked down in surprise.

As Jared approached the tub, the water level dropped a little. When he got in, he placed himself behind me, legs on either of my sides and I understood what had happened. The tub compensated for the fact that two people were now sitting in the perfumed water.

“Just when I think this place can’t surprise me anymore, something like this happens,” I told him as I leaned back against him.

Jared wrapped his arms around me. “You mean, the bathtub doesn’t magically adjust for the number of persons back at your home?”

“Ha, ha,” I mocked amused, splashing some foamy water his way. “But I do have one question.”

“I would be very disappointed if you didn’t.”

I splashed him with more water. “Does the foam _have_ to be pink?”

“I really hadn’t thought much about the color,” Jared said casually. “But if there’s a different one that you’d prefer…”

“Purple?” I suggested, looking back at him. No sooner had I uttered the word that the pink foam changed into a splendid, rich purple. However, the color was so intense, it gave me a sort of headache just by looking at it. “Holy crap!” I exclaimed. “Not like this, a, a lighter shade…please?” I added. The foam changed to a much more soothing lilac. In fact, so too had its pattern, making it look like we were in a meadow full of lilacs. “God, I love this place,” I said with a wide grin.

Jared tightened his hold around me. “Do you mean that?” he asked, uncertainty in his voice. “Do you truly mean that?”

I turned around so that I could look at him properly. “Of course I mean that, you silly fairy,” I said serious. Jared tried not to laugh “But not because of a magical bathroom. That’s just one of the many reasons why I love being here but the main reason…” I took a deep breath as I rested my hands on his chest. I smiled softly as I felt his rapidly beating heart. “The main reason why I can’t get enough of this place is because you’re here.”

Jared didn’t even hesitate and glued his lips to mine. I had seen the move coming which made me respond perfectly to his sweet and tender kiss. I realized in that moment that it was the first time we truly kissed like two people who cared deeply for the other.

We parted slowly, savoring the taste of the other on our lips. I smiled as I cupped his face. “This past week has been the best of my entire life,” I told him, surprising even myself. “I felt happy, I felt like I finally and truly belong somewhere…” I looked right into his ruby-and-gold eyes. “But especially with someone. Jared, I…” I chuckled softly. “I think I love you.”

The poor man was so overwhelmed by his emotions, he could only stare at me, his eyes huge and burning with joy, his breathing heavy but a wide smile on his face. He was even shaking a little!

I laughed nervously and did the only logical thing I could in that moment. I kissed him. Jared glued me to him as he passionately responded. But because it was him that I was kissing, it quickly changed into a different kind of kiss. I felt my heartbeat rising and my insides begging like crazy for every last inch of him.

I was already rubbing myself against him which made moving on top of him easy. Jared was already out of breath, giving my tongue easy access to his mouth. I had no idea if the heat, the foam, the perfume, my declaration of love or all of them combined made me feel so drunk and so good and so uninhibited but in that instant, I couldn’t care less. All I cared about was the man of my dreams. _Not to mention the fact that I kinda like being on top of him!_

Jared was already half-hard and not minding one bit my being in control. I moved my erratic kisses to his neck as my hand greedily rubbed his erection without mercy. Jared leaned back against the tub, throwing his head back as he moaned long and loud. I officially escalated from drunk to high. I needed more.

I continued stroking Jared’s now rock-hard erection because I loved how my hand seemed to be made for him, like every other part of my body. But my own throbbing body and impatience got the better of me and I positioned his tip against my entrance. I cried out in hush moans on his skin as I lowered myself on him. _God, he fills me up so damn good!_

It was actually deeper than that. It was like I was discovering Jared for the amazing man he was. I felt how his legs acted as chair for my ass and how they moved under me whenever he bucked his hips up. I felt how his erection moved and twitched deliciously inside me as I grinded against him. I needed to feel more!

I kissed his neck for a moment then stopped on a random patch of skin. Without caring if I had found his soft spot or not, I sunk my teeth into his flesh, biting down hard. _“YES!”_ Jared screamed in ecstasy, his body arching into mine and his fingernails digging into my ass, holding me firmly in place. _“Oh, God! Yes!”_

That was all I wanted to hear. I nibbled with my teeth at the now tender zone, my own fingernails scratching every bit of his chest. The sounds he was making were the sweetest form of music I had ever had the pleasure of listening to. But I found myself missing the taste of his lips so I arched myself against him until my head was at level with his. “Valaria!” Jared exclaimed out of breath then claimed my lips in a heated dance. I moaned long and loud into his mouth as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

We kissed until the need for oxygen made us reluctantly separate but Jared buried his head in my neck, licking and biting it without mercy. I tangled a hand in his raven hair then closed my fist, tugging it hard as I threw my head back to scream his name.

The excessive amount of friction and scratching and biting caused my body to hit overdrive and all too soon, I found myself holding on to Jared for dear life as my orgasm reverberated throughout my every cell. I was so high on pleasure, I couldn’t even scream Jared’s name properly. A mixture of moans and senseless words did escape my throat but I was too lost in my climax to care what I was actually saying.

I loved Jared and I told it to his face. That was all that mattered and that was the last thing I remembered before losing consciousness along with Jared whispering continuously in my ear that he loved me too.

*****

***                ***

*****

I felt myself smile before the last remnants of my blissfully dreamless sleep vanished and I woke up, half opening my eyes.[1] However, a cold breeze made my smile go away as my eyes’ diameter expanded. I gasped scared as I rose to a sitting position.

I was in the middle of a damp, dark and chilly corridor, with torches placed at some distance from one another as the sole source of light and heat. I blinked a few times then rubbed my eyes but I was not imagining it. I actually was in what appeared to be an endless corridor. Feeling the familiar clutches of panic, I looked around. I no longer felt panic.

None other than Zane was sound asleep and lying right next to me but I had had my back turned to her. I felt my eye twitch. _“Zanthe Reinhart!”_

The blonde nincompoop awoke with a snore and half rose as she looked around herself confused and startled. Then she noticed me and her confusion grew even more. “Vala?”

“No, the Grim Reaper!” I snapped as I got up on my feet. “What the hell is going on here?!”

“How the hell am _I_ supposed to know?” Zane replied equally snappy, also getting up. “I was enjoying myself with James, thank you very much!” She grinned. “And I really mean, thank you very much!”

I blinked fast a few times. “What?”

Her grin widened. She raised her eyebrows at me suggestively.

I felt myself slightly blush. “Oh,” I said with half a mouth. “But that still doesn’t explain this!” I stretched my arms in the corridor’s direction.

“Yeah, I’m drawing a blank too,” Zane admitted. We slowly got up, looking carefully around ourselves. “Although…”

“It does feel like I’ve been here before,” I completed her idea.

She gasped. “Because you have,” she said.

“Huh?”

“Well, not you directly but you’ve been here when Jared was here.”

“The project,” I agreed. “That’s good news! It means we’re still in the castle.” Then I frowned. “But what are _you_ doing here? Wait, a minute, how the hell are you standing?!”

“I’m kinda dating a man who can influence my body’s energy,” she mocked. “Making my legs work until my muscles recover is really a walk in the park for James. And what am I doing here? What are _you_ doing here! I mean, I doubt this is where Jared would have wanted to bring you, in dark and dirty corridor.”

“Not to mention cold,” I added as I rubbed my arms. “Hold on… I never told you about this.”

“What?”

“I never told you about what Jared was working on, or that I had seen him working at it.”

“But then again, Jared _did_ employ James for threat assessment on a project,” Zane pointed out then smirked. “How complicated do you think it was for me to get him to talk?”

I regarded her annoyed. “What are we supposed to do now?”

“Follow the depressingly colored road?” Zane proposed.

“Which way?” I asked, looking left and right. “I mean, it looks like it stretches to infinity and beyond.”

“Yeah,” she agreed with a chuckle. “Well, which way do you feel we should go?”

“I don’t know,” I sighed tired. “You pick.”

“Oh, _that’s_ helpful,” she mocked. “Well, at least we know one of these leads back to the castle so…we had our heads pointing that way” – she turned to her right – “which means we were probably brought from there.” She looked smiling at me. “We go right.”

I stared at her blankly. “I can’t believe that actually makes sense to me too, given the circumstances.”

“Given the circumstances, you can bite me then walk this way.”

I laughed as I followed after my best friend. We walked in silence for about five minutes when the most horrible of thoughts crept in my head. I stopped in my tracks. Zane did as I did. I looked at her. “What if none of this is real?” I asked.

Zane blinked fast at me. “What?”

“What if I’m still sleeping but this is all in my head again?”

Zane opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. She closed it and thought for a moment. “I really wanna say that it’s unlikely…but given your track record, yeah. This could all just be in your head. Actually, it makes sense because there is no other explanation for why _I’m_ here and not Jared.”

“I get it,” I mocked. “You don’t have to paint such a clear picture.”

“I don’t have to, I _want_ to,” Zane said smiling.

I slapped her arm as I shook my head, smiling against my will. We continued on, down the corridor but after a little while of seeing nothing but the dark bricks and torches, I felt myself get irritated. “What is the point of this?” I asked aloud, stopping in my spot. “We should have reached the end, by now.”

“Maybe it’s just a really long corridor.” I shot Zane a doubtful look. “All I’m trying to say is that maybe I miscalculated and we’re actually going towards wherever this leads to instead of the way out.”

I threw my head back as I groaned annoyed. “Of course.” I said more to myself. “Of course there had to be a catch…” I sighed. “All right. Let’s try it the other way around.”

I had no idea for how long we walked in the opposite direction but I felt my irritation turn to anger. Torches and bricks were still the only thing we came across. “You know what I don’t get?” Zane said before I could express my feelings. “Why put you here? I mean, from what I remember from last night,” she said grinning, “James was in…a stellar shape. I can only assume it was because of Jared so what did you do wrong for him to put you here?”

I stared at her with my eyes as wide as the moon and my mouth all the way to the Earth’s core. “What I did _wrong?!”_ I repeated outraged. “I’ll have you know, _Zanthe,_ that I did absolutely nothing wrong! In fact, I was the one who initiated the whole thing. That’s right!” I reinforced at the look on her face. “I was the one who put myself on top of Jared and made him moan and scream and stop smirking!”

But it was no use. I doubted anything could ever erase the insultingly pervy smirk Zane had plastered all over her face. “I can’t tell you how happy I am that you took such an initiative, dearest Valaria.”

I froze in my spot. Zane mimicked me, still smirking. It was then that I noticed her clothes for the first time since waking. She was wearing a large, white shirt over which she had donned a black leather vest, simple grey leggings which melted into tall, leather boots which matched the vest and gloves.

I was sure that my mind was playing tricks on me and wanted to ask my best friend something but then the impossible hit me in the face again.

Under my very eyes, Zane’s golden blonde hair turned raven black as she gained in height and muscle. Her eyes turned from reptilian green to ruby and gold while her clothes also stretched to fit the new body. Within seconds, Jared Korrick was smirking wickedly at me.

I didn’t even hesitate to grab his face and kiss him passionately but I quickly broke away before it got too heated. I pushed him so hard, his back came into contact with the brick wall. “If you ever do anything like this to me again,” I told him in a surprisingly calm and strong voice, despite my boiling blood, “I will use whatever power I have here to send you to your worst nightmares.”

Jared had wanted to no doubt offer a witty reply but just as I finished uttering my threat, a cool breeze made our hair and the flames sway, magic in the air. He analyzed me carefully for a moment. “I swear,” he said simply then he inevitably grinned. “But I will not apologize.”

I felt myself smile back. “Why am I not surprised?” I regarded him carefully. “Was anything you said to me as Zane true?”

“Which part, my dear?”

“The part about James.”

He shrugged. “Educated guess based on how I perceived the young energivore’s reaction to our shared link. But I have no doubt that he has already used his powers to make young Zanthe walk again.”

“He’d better or else I’ll skin him alive and make a coat out of him.”

Jared chuckled softly then before I could blink, he was kissing me again. Not that I minded but I was still pretty pissed at him. I responded for a few moments to his lips then I pushed him away, gently. “I’m not done being mad at you,” I told him.

He laughed. “Then what I have to tell you next might anger you further,” he said then stretched his arms. “I want to offer you everything.”

I regarded him blankly. “What?”

“I want to offer you everything I have,” Jared said serious, “but I can’t do that until you see everything for yourself.”

I said nothing for a moment. “Is this where my anger with you grows?”

“I suspect so,” Jared agreed. “You see, I have no control over what might happen once you’re inside. I can only show you the way in. You must figure the rest all on your own.”

I regarded him with a neutral expression.

“Believe me, Valaria, this is the last thing I wanted to do,” he tried to explain. “But I can no longer stand keeping anything from you.” He took a step closer to me. “Especially not after the trust you placed in me.” He moved even closer. “And especially not after what you told me last night.”

_So Jared is old school and appreciates my two and a half decade abstinence as some sort of high honor. I’m not feeling any pressure to do or say something super meaningful, noooo!_

I pressed my lips into a line as I swallowed nervous. The look in his eyes told me crystal clear that he meant every word. After what felt like forever, I managed to say in a raspy voice, “Show me the way.”

The poor man actually sighed relieved and I couldn’t help but smile. He indicated that we continue walking and I complied without protest. After a few minutes, he stopped then turned to face me. I had rarely seen him that serious.

“You already know of the project Sarah more or less forced me to add to my castle,” he began.

“The labyrinth,” I confirmed.

Jared nodded. “What you don’t know is that although this corridor is the first step, this form of labyrinth is not a physical one.”

“I’m confused,” I said frowning. “I saw you talking with strange people and I saw the magic which created this place.”

“Ah, but you see, the magic used was not meant for the creation of just any place.” He wanted to say more but no words left his mouth.

My confusion grew but then my features relaxed. “You can’t tell me anything, can you?” I said. “You’re bound by an oath or something and you really _can’t_ tell me what’s so special about this labyrinth.”

Jared smiled widely, nodding his head once. “The only thing I can tell you it’s that while Sarah insisted on adding her form of coming of age, I wanted to alter it. Make it more intense, if you will.” He half smiled. “You will be the first person to ever test it.”

I couldn’t help but feel important and more than a little full of myself at that statement. “Okay, Jared,” I said confident. “I’m ready.”

He smiled a bit sad. “I sincerely hope you are, my dear.”

Before I could ask what the hell he meant by that, Jared turned his back to me then put both of his hands against the wall. He bowed his head and closed his eyes. Jared pushed himself against the dark bricks, as if he was testing their resistance to outside pressure. I smiled at the silly sight but then I heard a loud cracking sound which made me jump in my spot. Jared quickly retreated next to me.

I saw and heard how the bricks in front of us were split in two then how they retracted inwards, letting light pass through and creating a sort of broken doorway through the wall. I quickly covered my eyes for the light was too powerful at first. After I got used to it, I lowered my hand. The freshly made opening showed only a yellow barrier. It was alive with magic, small bursts of sparkles popping at random all over its surface. It was big enough for only one person to pass through.

I stared at it open-mouthed. “Where does it lead to?” I heard myself say. I looked at Jared.

He regarded me with that sad smile again. He let the tip of his fingers caress my cheek. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on my lips. Jared unstuck his lips slowly, fading away as he drew back. I wanted to grab him but my hand passed right through him and then, he was gone.

I stared wide-eyed, my heart pounding in my chest. I was alone and about to go somewhere completely unknown. Never before had I wished so hard Zane were with me.

I took a deep breath to calm myself down. I looked at the doorway. The barrier didn’t seem as imposing as it did at first but still quite unnerving.

“Now or never,” I said to myself.

I straightened my back then crossed over to the other side.

**Author's Note:**

> [1] Current date: June 30th.
> 
> Thank you so much for still being here! ^.^


End file.
